Abomey is one of the heartlands of vodun (voodoo), the West African spiritual tradition that spread to Haiti and Brazil with the slave trade and is still actively practised across Benin. The town has numerous vodun shrines and temples, several of which can be visited with a local guide who can explain the iconography and etiquette.
The most striking site is the Chameleon Temple (Temple du Caméléon) outside town: a ten-metre stone chameleon with gaping eyes and an open mouth, serving as a place of worship for a local divinity. The chameleon's ability to change colour gives it a special role in the vodun pantheon as a mediator between the physical and spiritual worlds. The temple is typically open on Sundays. Hire a guide in town — independent access is limited and context matters considerably here.